Ph.D. Engineering

 Ph.D. Engineering

According to Too and Weaver (2014), globalization made the world a small village, and closer than ever before, thus enhancing the global economy. The increasing role of project management in the project cannot go unnoticed. Meeting the demands of a project requires the utilization of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques in project activities to form a perception of project management. Project management has, for a long time, been seen as an academic domain for planning-based methods, and in diverse fields, as an application of engineering science and optimization theory. Goleman (2017) says that to meet the challenges like competition, efficient and economical uses of sources, and maximum output, knowledge of management and theories of management is an essential requirement. Among Management Theories, Classical Management Theories are fundamental as they provide the basis for all other opinions of management.  The contribution of classical views towards project management in project activities cannot go unnoticed. Nevertheless, this must be increasingly criticized for being insufficient for praxis. Many reasons play a significant role in this. First, this paper will compare diverse views from different authors and identify areas where they agree and disagree. I will then look into the gaps in their research and synthesize findings to establish conclusions. Finally, I will construct an argument and take a clear stand based on an assessment criteria set. Based on theory and evidence, this paper will critically analyze why the classical view of project management is increasingly criticized for being insufficient for practice and outline potential improvements

In the early ’90s, during the industrialization period, managers realized that there supposed to be some methods to improve productivity. Different managers raised their views based on the classical viewpoint, which is currently referred to as classical management theory.  There are various ways of processing a project, but considering all these methods and choosing the best one is the main objective of scientific management (Xerri, Nelson, and Brunetto, 2015). Several experiments were carried out by various scientists such as Fredrick W. Taylor, who is referred to as the “father of scientific management.” F.W. Taylor (1856 – 1915) is recognized widely as the first project management thinker, who tried to establish scientific methods. His main focus was to build a better relationship between employees and managers through improved efficiency for all. Taylor described his principles to ensure that everyone understood how to choose the best way for maximum production. He gave the first-ever solution to solve the issue of soldiering workers where they intentionally performed lower than their full capacity. He explained how to reduce unnecessary elements from the process to understand the time and motion study. Its main aim was to break a task into different types and defining the unprecedented delay among different actions that enhances the efficiency of productivity.

Frank (1868-1924) and Lillian Gilbreth (1878-1972) also contributed to the scientific project management based on F.W Taylor’s concepts. Unlike Taylor, their main focus was to reduce extraneous factors for the production process and reduce the fatigue in every part of the task. On the other hand, they also enhanced the time and motion method that was established by Taylor. Frank proved that managers could increase productivity up to three times by understanding motion studies. Henry L. Gantt (1861-1991) also contributed to the scientific project management process by establishing the Gantt chart, which helps managers to control and schedule every part of their task.  Many industrialists of their time appreciated the work of Taylor. His principles are still being practiced in different parts of the world. As seen, workers are paid depending on their level of productivity. Modern management theorists like Edward Deming and Juran also agree with the principles and division of work, as stipulated by Taylor (Serrador, Gemino, and Reich, 2018).

This viewpoint faces a lot of criticism currently.  Labour unions believed that this classical view would emphasize on more work from Labour with less payment. The unions also condemn the speedup and lack of voice during work. The benefits of higher productivity are not mutually shared with Labour. In their perspective, the cumulative productivity reduced instead of increasing when this theory was applied in the industrial unit since specialized work was rendered boring as its nature of human being.

Another classical management theory is bureaucratic views of project management. This is evident in public and private sectors since it is focused on operating an institution under a number of positions (Al-Haddad and Kotnour, 2015). This has resulted in the establishment of presidents, vice-presidents, managers, assistant managers, supervisors, and other position below each higher authority.  Each group of employees is supposed to submit to a higher authority, and the chain flows up to the president. The bureaucratic view was mainly established by Henry Fayol (1916) and Max Weber. Fayol developed this theory from his own experience.  Fayol described the primary responsibilities of management that separate it from other business functions while Max Weber explained how authorities work and how an organization can operate with the division of power. Weber established that an organization should be operated under rules and regulations through the establishment of impersonal relationships.

The main limitation of this classical view is that it is difficult for the owner’s desire to divide the task between the people and those who should be rewarded and in which manner. Workers were also rewarded based on preference and not based on the performance of the staff. Weber explicitly explained that organizational rationality could be achieved through hierarchy and division of labor. On top of that is that all job descriptions and rules and regulations should be defined clearly at the initial stage of the project.

Administrative project management is also another type of classical project management view, according to Too and Weaver (2014), aimed at systematically organizing things. This includes a clear definition of tasks, division of labor, and a hierarchical structure of organizations. The main emphasis of this view is on performance improvement and the general welfare of the organization. Henri Fayol (1841-1925) was a prominent contributor to this field. He established the viewpoint that forecasting, planning, organizing, commanding, coordinating, and monitoring as the six key responsibilities of the administration.

This approach is still applicable to many organizations. Nevertheless, the functions are slightly modified.  It is efficient in militaries. The purposes of management that he gave were placed in the management functions of most organizations. Later, his six responsibilities of management were changed to four tasks that are practiced even today.

Scientific management theory was established in the USA to upsurge output since there was a shortage of Labour in the USA because of the industrial revolution. Therefore, the theory only aimed at increasing productivity by enhancing worker efficiency. This theory was built on four principles, which include: development of true science of management, the scientific selection and training of staff, proper wages for enhanced and top-notch work, and equal distribution of work and responsibilities among managers and their staff. The main limitation of this theory is its ignorance of human aspects. The employees’ management theory was created to increase output due to the Labour shortage. Employees are opposed to this theory since they fear that working harder and faster would exhaust the available work, resulting in layoffs. Speedup conditions also led to undue pressures on the worker (Serrador, Gemino, and Reich, 2018).

Administrative management theory is aimed at creating an institution that ensures effectiveness and efficiency. It protects the worker against the scientific management theory.  Planning, controlling, organizing, and leading is the main functions of this theory. Among the fourteen principles of this theory, unity of command, work sharing, authority equity, and order and structural unity are most important (Too and Weaver, 2014).

According to Goleman (2017), the Bureaucratic management theory of Max Weber focused on the real structure of an organization. It is based on eight principles. Bureaucracy is built on the principle of written work. Other essential principles include written rule, the authority of manger to check, balance system, and reward workers. Bureaucracy is still being practiced in most organizations around the world.

Classical views help project management abilities to predict and control the behavior of the staff. These views are designed to predict and control conduct in organizations. These views are increasingly criticized for being insufficient for practice in modern business because they look into the functions of the task of communication in the organization and ignore the human relational and Maintainance tasks of communication. They are used in simple, small, and stable organizations while they are not applied in big, multifaceted, and aggressive modern organizations.

References

Al-Haddad, S., and Kotnour, T., 2015. Integrating the organizational change literature: a model for successful change. Journal of organizational change management.

https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/JOCM-11-2013-0215/full/html

Goleman, D., 2017. Leadership that gets results (Harvard business review classics). Harvard Business Press.

Serrador, P., Gemino, A., and Reich, B.H., 2018. Creating a climate for project success. The Journal of Modern Project Management, 6(1).

https://www.journalmodernpm.com/index.php/jmpm/article/view/338

Too, E.G., and Weaver, P., 2014. The management of project management: A conceptual framework for project governance. International Journal of Project Management, 32(8), pp.1382-1394.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S026378631300094X

Xerri, M.J., Nelson, S., and Brunetto, Y., 2015. Importance of workplace relationships and attitudes toward organizational change in engineering asset-management organizations. Journal of Management in Engineering, 31(5), p.04014074.

https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/IJPSM-05-2015-0094/full/html